10 Interesting Genghis Khan Facts

Genghis Khan is one of the most feared conquerors in history. This ruthless warrior conquered a wide section of the world and slayed millions of people in order to achieve so. He was not only a formidable fighter, he was considered a great leader and inventor of many military tactics. Here are 10 Genghis Khan facts that will make you shiver in awe and fear.

#1 Warrior by Birth

Legends say Genghis Khan was born with a blood clot in his clenched fist. Seeing this incident, the scholars prophesied he is destined to be a great warrior.

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#2 Largest Empire

This Mongolian warrior united the numerous nomadic clans living in the land of China and Russia. From the land of Eastern Europe to the shore of the Pacific Ocean, Genghis Khan had conquered almost 12 million square miles and undoubtedly Genghis Khan empire is one of the largest in the history.

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#3 Named as Great Ruler

Born as Temujin, Genghis Khan who is also known as Changez Khan or Chengiz Khan took the name around 1206. The meaning of the name is The Great Ruler or Ruler of the Universe.

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#4 War with Persia

One of the principle Genghis Khan facts is regarding his war with Persia. In 1219 Genghis Khan wanted to strike a deal with Shah of the Khwarezmid Empire of Persia. He wanted to start trade between the two empires. But, his offer was rejected and his ambassadors were murdered by the Persians. In his urge for revenge, he attacked Persia and it is said the invasion nearly killed almost 90 percent of the population of Persia.

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#5 Ruthless Warrior

Some historians assume that he is the reason of the death of almost 40 million people. And his soldiers had destroyed 11 percent of the population of the world of the time.

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#6 Religiously Open-minded

Though he was a ruthless conqueror, he was religiously open-minded. He passed several laws declaring religious freedom. Being a sharp politician, he realized it’s necessary to keep the Mongolian people as well as people of conquered land happy in order to avoid chances of rebellion.

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#7 Large number of Offsprings

He used to believe, a man’s strength can be measured by the numbers of children he gave birth to. He had multiple wives and a large number of offsprings. It is believed even in the 21st century, 8% of Asian men carry his gene and there are a huge number of people who call themselves Genghis Khan children.

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#8 Love for Borte

He wedded for the first time at the age of 16 to Börte whom his father introduced to him when he was 9 years old. The Genghis Khan facts that remained unknown were about his love for his wife. Even though he had married multiple times and had numerous concubines, Börte was his favorite and only empress.

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#9 Rough Childhood

Genghis Khan had an extremely rough childhood. After his father was murdered, his family was banished from his clan. It is said he murdered his half-brother fighting over food. He was abducted by a rival clan and enslaved. He escaped from their clutch later, though. Regardless of facing numbers of hardships, he became a formidable warrior at the age of 20.

#10 Mystery about his burial place

The whereabouts of his burial place is still a mystery. He died in 1227 probably from falling from the horseback or an infectious wound caused by an arrow. He wanted to keep his resting place a secret so that none can disturb him in his eternal sleep. The legends say his death procession was kept a secret and they killed everyone they came to see during their journey to the burial place. His horsemen repeatedly rode over his grave and planted numerous trees over it to create a jungle over his grave. Till date the exact location of his resting place is unknown.